CLACTON-ON-SEA, England – Bills are mounting for Maureen Hart, a former librarian who lives on a steady income after hip and back pain from a fall forced her into early retirement.
The gas and electricity bill for her bungalow in Clacton-on-Sea, a seaside town east of London, more than tripled in April, as energy bills across Britain did when a government limit on energy payments eased. To save money and afford the help she needs to wash and clean her hair, Ms. Hart, 77, cuts down on cab rides to visit her son several towns away, and keeps out the heat even when it makes her pain worse.
“You really don’t think you’re going to be one of those who can’t afford to warm yourself,” said Ms. Hart. “There must be thousands more people who think like me, what went wrong?”
Inflation was already on the rise in Britain and elsewhere before the Russian invasion of Ukraine, fueled by rising natural gas prices and supply chain shortages following pandemic lockdowns. The war has abruptly pushed the price of oil and gas even higher.
Now consumer prices in Britain are rising at the fastest pace in 30 years, and wages are failing to keep pace, putting pressure on household incomes since records began in 1956.
The rise in the cost of living is especially troubling for the elderly and others on lower or limited incomes, such as those living on government pensions and disability benefits, which have largely remained the same even as inflation hit.
April was especially tough. Earlier this month, the government raised its cap on energy prices, which track global gas prices, by 54 percent, a move that affects 22 million households. The limit, which is reset twice a year, is expected to rise again in October, ahead of the frosty winter months.
The ongoing war in Ukraine not only promises to keep energy bills high for the foreseeable future, it is also pushing up the price of food, as Ukraine and Russia are major exporters of wheat, maize, barley and cooking oil. UK headline inflation is expected to peak at 9 percent later this year. According to figures released by the government on Friday, more than 90 percent of adults said their cost of living had risen over a two-week period in April, largely due to food and energy bills.
Thousands of protesters took to the streets in cities across the country last month to protest the rising cost of living. Helplines for the elderly have reported an increasing number of calls to help with energy bills in recent weeks.
And many people who had already cleared their household budgets are going through it again, forgoing meals and, at the most, for periods of electricity and gas, according to some advocacy groups.
Even before the latest escalations, households were feeling the pressure, with more than three million people in England alone facing ‘fuel poverty’ or struggling to heat their homes in 2020, according to government figures.
In April, nearly half of adults who paid the utility bill said they struggled to pay those costs, and one in five were unable to purchase fuel at some point, according to the UK’s Office for National Statistics. Nearly a quarter of adults in Britain said it was very difficult to pay their household bills in March compared to a year earlier.
Opposition lawmakers on Wednesday urged the government on its plan to tackle the country’s high inflation and economic slowdown, accusing Prime Minister Boris Johnson of ignoring the issue. Mr Johnson pointed to a range of measures to help offset the energy ceiling hike, including some tax cuts, and a falling unemployment rate.
Britain has experienced rising energy prices before, but the current situation is “once in a generation,” said Jack Leslie, senior economist at the Resolution Foundation, an independent think tank focused on improving people’s living standards. with lower incomes. He added that there was no indication that energy prices would fall in the near term. “This is on another level,” he said.
Ms Hart, who rents her book-filled bungalow, moved to Clacton-on-Sea for the sun and the great outdoors, she said. As she has difficulty walking long distances these days, her social life consists of going to the beach and visiting a helper who comes several times a week to help wash her hair for around £75 a month. And with the news that her rent has also increased £20 a month, she’s even thinking of losing the helper.
“All my family and friends say the same thing – what should we cut back on?” she said.
She is looking into taking advantage of some of the measures the government put in place last month to help those with rising costs, including a £500 million grant to local authorities to distribute to lower-income households.
But critics and campaigners have said the measures are not commensurate with the severity of rising prices, reiterating a long plea for increased benefits.
“In the past, the expectation was that older people would be able to tighten their belts,” said David Southgate, policy and research officer at Age UK, a group that supports the elderly. “The difficulty now is that it is no longer possible for the elderly to cut back on their household budget.”
The war between Russia and Ukraine and the world economy
People who live on disability benefits because they are unable to work also have an extra hard time due to rising prices.
In Liverpool, Maxine Williams, 52, said keeping warm is an essential part of managing a condition that affects her connective tissue, known as Ehlers-Danlos syndrome. But since her utility bill doubled in April, Ms. Williams has begun to reduce her weekly grocery list to the essentials, microwave meals instead of the oven, and cancel TV streaming services. What has essentially stayed the same this year is her disability benefits, she said.
“I can’t just turn on the heating because I can’t afford that,” she said, adding that it made her even more nauseous and in even more pain. “It’s been tough.”
To help each other through the fear of a cost of living crisis, many older people – ranging from anxious to resigned – are joining forces.
On a recent sunny afternoon, dozens of people gathered for lunch in Jaywick, near Clacton-on-Sea, where residents paid £1.50 (about $2) while volunteers served them tea, coffee and a two-course meal. Some people refused to talk about their finances, calling the event an escape from a source of stress.
It was the social highlight of the week for Jaywick resident Patricia Hutton, 89, who said events like this kept her through times of crisis. As with everyone, her bills have gone up, but with her arthritis and some mobility issues, it was hard to keep the heat and lights off.
“I pay all my bills by direct debit, and when there’s no money for food, there’s no money for food,” she said.
Her friend Jennifer Belcher, 67, has started buying discounted food early in the morning as it expires soon to help Ms. Hutton reduce her grocery spending. “We’ve saved her nearly £40 a month on her groceries,” she said.
Ms. Belcher’s own utility bill more than doubled last month, she said. Vacations are now a thing of the past, as are buying new shoes and clothes. “Does our pension match it? Is it good!” she said.
In a country where winter deaths run into the tens of thousands, the warmer weather has dulled some of the strength. But for many Brits wary of the tough choices the colder months bring, summer will be a tough one to enjoy.
“What are we going to do next winter?” said Mrs. Belcher. “Making a fire in the garden?”
Eshe Nelson reporting contributed.
